Hug Me
by fnvii
Summary: This is a story about Lana Lang. How Lana deals with Chloe and how she feels about Chloe. A story of friendship and trust.


Title: Us  
  
Author: fnvii  
  
Disclaimer: The characters and situations of 'Smallville' are the property of Warner Bros. and DC Comics. No profit is being made from this endeavor.  
  
Author's Note: My first Lana fic. I feel kind of awkward because I usually write about Chloe since she's my favorite character. It's kind of funny because this Lana fic is also about Chloe. I can't help it.  
  
Every time I look at Chloe, I picture her as a beautiful red butterfly with yellow dots on it. Somehow I wanted to capture her and put her in a jar. Feed her yummy flowers from the garden and show her off to everyone as my own. This must be strangely creepy, coming from me. But I do feel that way. Sometimes, I picture us together in a garden full of glittering irises; blood red roses; pink powdered peonies; lush, green grasses; fruit trees: oranges, grapefruits and lemon; colorful birds and beautiful butterflies flying around us. Singing our joy and ethereal happiness. If only our real world is like that. We had gotten closer since she invited me to move in with her and Mr. Sullivan. In fact, even closer than me and Clark. Our friendship is special. We're closer than friends. We're like sisters. I love watching her getting engrossed in writing her stories for the Torch, panicking whether to wear the red blouse or the green one and even more so when she lie down on the couch reading a book. She told me about her mother. How her mother smelled like lavender and was very beautiful. Goddess-like. How she had cried every time she sees an old family picture with her mother in it, holding her close to her heart. I understood her feelings. I lost a mother too. I still remember my mother's soft touches. Her voice still rings in my ear like the morning music of the crystal blue sea waves. Chloe and I vowed to be stronger for each other. But I still cry at three a.m. every time I couldn't sleep.  
  
I saw Chloe in the Torch office, alone. She was looking at the screen of the computer with this pained look on her face. The faint luminous glow of the screen reflected green on her face. She looked almost surreal.  
  
"Are you okay?" I asked. She quickly shut down the computer and smiled weakly at me. She gathered her belongings and started talking very fast. An obvious sign that she's hiding something.  
  
"Did you know that all shrimps are born male but slowly grow into females as they mature? Isn't that amazing?"  
  
"Wow, Chloe, that's.." I wanted to say 'amazing' and that I know she's trying to distract me with facts so I won't bother her about it but she cut me off.  
  
"And since heat expands metal, the Eiffel Tower always leans away from the sun," she said. Typical Chloe.  
  
We were already at her car. As she was fishing in her bag for the car keys, I hugged her from behind. Her hair smelled like mulberry and chrysanthemum. I let go when she touched my wrist. We got in the car and she drove to the Talon. The air was crisp. I love autumn. Everything turns gold in autumn. The trees, the ground, the sky. Everything.  
  
Lex was buried in the piles of invoices and Clark and Pete was talking at the counter when we arrived. I straightaway went to the counter and started working since I was already late. Chloe went to sit with Lex and Pete hurried out. Said something about helping his dad.  
  
I could see that Lex was happy that Chloe sat with him. His face sort of lit up like a child's when offered a candy. Clark followed my gaze and frowned.  
  
"Why are you looking at the?" he asked.  
  
"Lex looks happy, don't you think?" I told him.  
  
"Happy? I didn't notice," he replied.  
  
"His face sort of lit up when Chloe sat with him just now," I said.  
  
Clark frowned again. "I didn't know they were friends."  
  
"I'm surprised, Clark. You're friends with both of them but you didn't even notice that one small but important detail. That tells a lot about the kind of friend you are." I was beginning to feel annoyed by this oblivious person in front of me. Sorry was his reply. I could never stay mad at this beautiful creature. Clark is like my very own personal fort, in a way. He protects me from danger and harm which made me sort of depending on him a lot.  
  
"It's okay. I'm just frustrated, you know. Chloe is hiding something from me. She had that pained look on her face when she thinks no one is watching. I feel helpless, Clark. I want to help her but she's not letting me in," I sighed. I glanced at Chloe. This time she was laughing. Chloe stood up. She waved at Lex and walked towards me.  
  
"Hey Lana, I'm going home to change. I'll come by later, okay?" she said. I nodded. She waved at us and went off.  
  
"I'll talk to her," Clark said. He followed after Chloe. I went to take orders and making coffee. It seemed to be the only thing I have control over when everything seemed out of control and bizarre. At that moment, cleaning the coffee machine wasn't as bad as it used to be.  
  
Chloe came back three hours and thirty-seven minutes later. I counted. She changed into the red cashmere sweater I bought for her during my last trip to Metropolis visiting Nell and a low cut denim, which emphasized her figure. If I had been a guy, I would fall for her.  
  
"You know, I'm closing in twenty minutes," I said.  
  
"I came here to pick you up," she said. She smiled at me sheepishly. "Clark told me what was troubling you and I got angry that you confided in him instead of going straight to the source, me. But then I started to think. I'm sorry for making you worry Lana but you really shouldn't."  
  
I realized I had done the wrong thing sending Clark to Chloe. If Chloe hadn't been a smart and matured person, we wouldn't be talking to each other right now. Instead, we would be pulling each other's hair and engaged in a catfight like two eight-year-olds.  
  
"I care about you, Chloe. I was worried and you wouldn't tell me anything," I said.  
  
Chloe moved closer and hugged me. I hugged her back. "Lana, I care about you too. You know what, when we get back home, I'll fix us hot cocoa and we'll talk, okay?" I nodded.  
  
You don't know how glad I am to hear those words. Maybe it was my imagination but I saw the Talon transformed into the garden in my dreams. And only Chloe and I were there, watching the clouds in the sky as it moves. 


End file.
